Abstract

Objective: It is known that autoimmune diseases are seen more frequently in cases with beta thalassemia trait (BTT). However, there is only one study investigating the frequency of allergic disease in these patients, and it has been reported that asthma is more commonly seen. In our study, it was aimed to investigate the frequency of asthma and other allergic diseases in children with BTT which is very common in our region.

Material  and  Methods: Children diagnosed with BTT were included in to the study as the patient group. Children with similar age and gender admitted to the outpatient clinics for routine tests were included as the control group. Sociodemographic  features  were  recorded.  Symptoms  related  to  allergic  disorders  were  questioned  with  the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. The results of absolute eosinophil counts were also assessed.

Results: A total of 171 cases (BTT:85, Control:86), between 5-17 years of age were included in the study. The ISAAC questionnaire results was as follows: Life-long wheezing (BTT:28.2%, Control:18.6%), life-long rhinitis (BTT:30.6%, Control:23.3%), life-long repetitive pruritic rash (BTT:9.5%, Control:10.5%), and life-long food allergies (BTT:2.4%, Control:8.1%). Although wheezing and allergic runny nose were seen more commonly in the BTT group, no significant difference was observed. Likewise, although an asthma and allergic rhinitis diagnosis by physicians was more common in BTT, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. In the BTT group, the absolute eosinophil count was significantly higher compared with controls.

Conclusion: In our study, it was determined that the frequency of allergic symptoms like recurrent wheezing, nasal discharge and also the frequency of doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis were higher in BTT children when compared to healthy children. However, this difference was not statistically significant. We believe more comprehensive studies are needed in order to clarify the frequency of this possible coexistence.

Keywords: Allergic disease, β-thalassemia trait, Children

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Copyright and license

Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Kırlı U. Investigation of the Frequency of Allergic Diseases in Children with Beta Thalassemia Trait. Turk J Pediatr Dis [Internet]. 2019 Dec. 23 [cited 2025 Aug. 23];13(6):424-8. Available from: https://turkjpediatrdis.org/article/view/551